United States forward Trinity Rodman says her relationship with her father, Dennis Rodman, remains strained and that he is still largely absent from her life.

"He's not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else," Trinity Rodman told host Alex Cooper on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

The podcast comments echo what Trinity Rodman told ESPN's Charlotte Gibson in June 2022.

Rodman said that growing up, her mother tried to shield her two children from the chaotic lifestyle of the former NBA star. Rodman's mother, Michelle Moyer, divorced Dennis Rodman in 2012.

Trinity Rodman, who won a gold medal with the United States this summer at the Paris Olympics, has a brother, DJ Rodman, who plays in the NBA's G League.

Dennis Rodman responded to his daughter on Instagram, saying he is sorry he "wasn't the dad you wanted me to be" and said he tried to be a father and will keep trying.

"I will try even when it's difficult and if it takes a long time. I'm always here And tell you all the time rather it's your voice or voicemail how proud I am. I always had one wish and it was I wish my kids would call me and come see me. Hopefully one day I can get that," he wrote in the post.

Trinity Rodman, who also plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League, recalled how her father showed up unannounced at a Spirit playoff game in 2021.

She hadn't spoken to her father in months and was emotional during the game, then was photographed crying in his arms afterward.

"The whistle blew and I was so mad, like, 'You took this happy moment from me. You f---ed with my head again,'" she said on the podcast.

"I think after that was when I lost hope of ever getting him back. It was just like, he's popping in whenever he's going to be on a camera," Trinity Rodman said. "Even at that game, I don't think it was for me, I think he wanted to have a good conscience and then be like, 'Headline, Dennis Rodman showed up to his daughter's game.'"

Trinity Rodman went on to win a title with the Spirit that year and was named NWSL Rookie of the Year. She said that after that game she didn't speak to her father again until after the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Trinity Rodman and the Spirit lost to the Orlando Pride in the 2024 NWSL Championship game.

Dennis Rodman won five NBA championships over a 14-year career. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Information from ESPN's Charlotte Gibson and The Associated Press was used in this story.

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers premier pass rusher T.J. Watt, who injured his ankle late against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, was removed from the injury report Thursday and will play in Saturday's game at the Baltimore Ravens.

He has no game designation, signaling that he's good to go for the game.

Earlier Thursday, Watt had said he felt "pretty good" this week but was noncommittal on his status.

"We'll see Sunday -- or Saturday, I guess I should say -- but I felt pretty good this week," Watt said Thursday. "Obviously it's a short week, but felt pretty good."

Although the Steelers will have Watt, they'll be without wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) for the third consecutive game and without quarterback Justin Fields, who injured his abdomen against the Eagles. Cornerback Donte Jackson (back) and defensive end Larry Ogunjobi (groin) were both listed as questionable, while safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) is considered doubtful.

Watt exited the Week 15 loss to the Eagles with five minutes to play after rolling his ankle. He didn't participate in Tuesday's walk-through, but he was upgraded to a limited participant Wednesday and appeared to do even more work Thursday.

"There's not a lot of things you do on practice in a short week like this to push it, so I want to see how it feels on Saturday," Watt said earlier Thursday. "But I feel pretty good right now."

Though it wouldn't be ideal, Watt said he was open to playing on a snap count, if necessary.

"I'm trying to be out there as much as I possibly can, so obviously I wouldn't want to do that, but if that's the only thing that I can do ... I'm going to take what I can get," he said.

Watt recorded a sack, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits in the Week 11 meeting with the Ravens. So far this season, the Defensive Player of the Year contender has forced a league-leading six fumbles along with 11.5 sacks.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will start for the Kansas City Chiefs in Saturday's game against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium despite sustaining a high ankle injury last Sunday.

Mahomes has no injury status for the game.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier Thursday that Mahomes took a full practice workload Thursday, the Chiefs' final session of the week. He also was a full practice participant in the Tuesday and Wednesday practices.

"He did look good out there,'' Reid said. "He moved around pretty good. So, you're always looking to make sure they can get out the way, not to further any harm to them. So that's what I look at.

"I've been through it with him before, and he amazed me every time he does it. The guy, he's been so mentally tough and just puts it into a mindset that he has going into it [from] where he was a few days ago.''

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, asked how Mahomes looked in practice this week, said, "Like he always does.''

Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns. He came out of the game and was replaced by Carson Wentz.

The Chiefs also ruled left tackle D.J. Humphries out of Saturday's game. Humphries did not practice all week because of a hamstring injury that knocked him out of a Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. He did not play in last week's win over the Cleveland Browns.

The Chiefs used Joe Thuney, usually their starting left guard, at left tackle against the Browns. Before recently signing Humphries, the Chiefs had Wanya Morris or rookie Kingsley Suamataia as their left tackle, but both players were benched during games at various points.

CLEVELAND -- The Cavaliers will be without forward Isaac Okoro for several weeks after he suffered a sprained right shoulder.

The Cavaliers, who have the NBA's best record at 23-4, said Thursday that Okoro sustained a sprain to his right AC joint during the third quarter of Cleveland's Dec. 16 win at Brooklyn.

He will be reevaluated in two weeks, and the team said it will update his status and return "as appropriate."

Okoro is one of the team's best defensive players and has become much more dependable on offense. He is averaging 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 21 minutes through 23 games with 16 starts.

The No. 5 draft pick in 2020, Okoro has diligently worked on his outside shot the past two years and made great progress. He is making a career-best 49.2% of his 3-point attempts this season.

An unrestricted free agent last summer, Okoro signed a three-year, $38 million contract to stay with Cleveland in September.

While the Cavaliers could be without Okoro for the near future, small forward Max Strus is on the verge of making his season debut after being sidelined with a severe ankle injury sustained during a preseason workout.

Strus has been practicing the past two weeks and had been expected to play last week before his return was delayed.

On Wednesday, first-year Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said Strus was "awfully close" to playing. Last season, Strus averaged 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 70 starts for the Cavaliers after spending the three previous seasons with the Miami Heat.

The Cavaliers host the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the second NBA Cup earlier this week, on Friday and the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was named to the 2024 NBA Cup all-tournament team, announced Thursday, after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the championship.

Antetokounmpo was a unanimous selection by all 20 media members on the voting panel, as was Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Bucks defeated the Thunder 97-81 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas to win the in-season tournament title.

Antetokounmpo posted a triple-double Tuesday with 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, earning NBA Cup MVP honors. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points.

They were joined on the all-tournament team by the Bucks' Damian Lillard (19 votes), the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young (12) and the Houston Rockets' Alperen Sengun (six).

MINNEAPOLIS -- Karl-Anthony Towns said he got a "warm feeling" entering the Target Center again Thursday morning, but that still didn't mask how strange it was for him to be entering the arena he called home for nine seasons as a visiting player for the first time.

Towns will play his first game in Minnesota as a member of the New York Knicks on Thursday night, his first game against the Timberwolves since he was traded days before the start of training camp in September.

"I know it's going to be a lot," Towns said with a laugh as he considered the emotions of the game later that evening. "But just appreciate every second, every moment and appreciate being back here."

Towns, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Wolves in the 2015 NBA draft, said he still feels a strong connection to Minnesota, which includes keeping tabs on his former teammates from afar.

"I'm an avid Timberwolves fan, so I watch a lot of the games when I get a chance," Towns said. "They're still my brothers. They're still my guys. Just because a trade happened, doesn't mean I lost love for them. The brotherhood is always going to be there."

The Wolves and Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade the weekend before the start of training camp, sending Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. The trade was a shock for Towns, who had spent his entire career in Minnesota, and especially with the Wolves fresh off an appearance in the Western Conference finals.

"I'm not used to landing and going to a hotel in Minnesota," Towns said. "I don't know, that has never happened since the day I got drafted."

Towns said he did end up spending the night in his home in Minnesota before the game, and thought multiple times how strange it would be to come through the visiting tunnel before the game.

Towns rattled some of his most impactful memories in a Wolves jersey, getting to play with Kevin Garnett during his rookie season, watching Derrick Rose drop 50 points in 2018 and Minnesota's victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the 2024 playoffs, which sent the Wolves to the conference finals for only the second time in franchise history.

And when Towns was asked whether he missed Minnesota, he didn't skip a beat.

"Of course," he said emphatically. "I was here nine years. That's a long time I had called this place home."

On the court, Towns has settled into a groove with his new squad, averaging 24.8 points and a league-leading 13.9 rebounds on 53% shooting, matching a career high, while shooting 44% from 3, which would set a new career-high shooting from deep.

The Knicks enter Thursday with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, and the Wolves have found a groove after a slow start, winning six of their past seven games.

The two teams played a preseason game in New York against each other a few weeks after the trade, but Towns said that wouldn't make Thursday's game any easier emotionally. He repeated that he wanted to savor the moment Thursday and appreciate the memories he built in Minnesota.

"I've been through a lot, especially in a T-Wolves jersey," Towns said. "I'm trying to appreciate these moments that don't come around ever or often. So I just want to be in place of life where I look at things from a glass half-full. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be back home and have so many great memories at and to be able to play here against guys I've played with."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- LeBron James is set to become the NBA's all-time leader in regular season minutes played Thursday back in the same city where he logged his first, when the Los Angeles Lakers play the Sacramento Kings.

It will be another accomplishment in a career teeming with them for the four-time MVP, four-time champion and 20-time All-Star who also happens to be the league's all-time leading scorer.

But the 39-year-old James was not in a celebratory mood after Lakers shootaround Thursday morning. Rather, when asked about the announced changes for the All-Star game format in February, James lamented the state of the league.

"It's not just the All-Star Game. It's our game in general," James said. "There's a lot of f---ing 3s being shot. So it's a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed criticism aimed at the increase in 3-point volume this week ahead of the NBA Cup championship on Tuesday.

"The answer is yes, [we are having] many discussions about the style of basketball [being played]," Silver said. "I would not reduce it to a so-called 3-point shooting issue. I think we look more holistically at the skill level on the floor, the diversity of the offense, the fan reception to the game, all of the above."

To offer some perspective as to just how much the 3-point shot has become a staple for NBA offenses, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors averaged 31.6 3-point attempts per game - No. 1 in the league - en route to a 73-9 record. They would rank 29th this season, with only the Denver Nuggets attempting fewer per game (30.4). The defending champion Boston Celtics are first, averaging 51.1 3-point attempts per game, which would shatter the previous team records for 3-point attempts in a season.

As for the All-Star game, the league announced this week that rather than have the traditional East vs. West game, or even have the team's drafted by the top vote getters in each conference, there will be a round robin played instead.

The 24 All-Stars selected will be split up into teams of eight and a fourth team of eight will be comprised of players from the Rising Stars game on Friday night. Two teams will play in one semifinal and the other two teams will play in another semifinal, setting up a third championship game between the winners. Each of the games will untimed and will end when the first team reaches or surpasses 40 points to win.

While James' teammate, nine-time All-Star Anthony Davis said, "I don't really like it," when asked about the format change, James sounded more open to it.

"Something had to change," James said, alluding to last year's game that featured 397 combined, meaningless points by the two teams.

"We'll see, we'll see when we get there," he continued. "It's different. Obviously anytime you make some type of change it's going to be some buck back. I don't know. I mean, I have my ideas of what could possibly work. ... You got to do something. Obviously, the last couple of years have not been a great All-Star Game that Sunday night."

James comes into Thursday with 57,437 career regular season minutes played - nine behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time mark of 57,446. However, if you count the 23 minutes James played in the NBA Cup championship in Las Vegas last year, he has already passed Abdul-Jabbar's mark. The league does not count the NBA Cup championship statistics towards regular season or playoff records.

Free agent pitcher Michael Soroka has signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the Washington Nationals, the team announced Thursday.

Soroka, a 27-year-old right-hander, pitched for the Chicago White Sox last season, compiling a 4.74 ERA in 25 games including nine starts. He was 0-10 for the White Sox, who set the modern-day record for most losses in a single season (121).

Despite those numbers, Soroka landed a starting job with the Nationals. Overall, he has a 3.67 career ERA over his five-year career, which began with the Atlanta Braves. He has mostly been a starter but can also pitch in relief.

Soroka's best season came in 2019, when he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA for the Braves and finished second in NL Cy Young voting. Injuries set him back, including twice tearing his right Achilles tendon. He missed all of 2021 and 2022 while appearing in just seven games in 2023. Hamstring and elbow issues plagued him as well.

Soroka joins a staff that includes Jake Irvin, MacKenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz as the Nationals hope to take the next step in a rebuilding process that began several years ago.

Cody Bellinger called his dad as soon as he could after learning that he was being traded to the New York Yankees -- the same team that the elder Bellinger played for.

"It is truly wild," Cody said on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. "When I got the news, I called him, and he was very excited. He plays it all cool, but I know deep down he's really excited.

"My parents did a good job of bringing the camcorder around, and back when I was younger in high school or even before that, we would watch home videos. So that's how I remember it a lot through the camcorder, but I still have some very solid memories of it."

Clay Bellinger appeared in 181 games during his three seasons with the Yankees and was a member of their World Series-winning clubs in 1999 and 2000.

Clay and Cody Bellinger will become the fourth father-son duo to play for the Yankees, joining Yogi and Dale Berra, Ron and Ike Davis, and Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr.

Cody Bellinger was acquired Tuesday by the Yankees in a trade that sent pitcher Cody Poteet and cash to the Chicago Cubs. The former National League MVP will replace Juan Soto near the top or in the middle of the Yankees lineup while potentially playing multiple positions.

In a phone conversation with manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday, Bellinger offered up his versatility.

"Whether it's left, center, if [Aaron] Judge gets a DH day, I'll play right," Bellinger said. "Or if you need me at first base, I'll play first. And I enjoy doing that stuff. ... Wherever they need me, I'm available and I like doing it and it excites me."

Last season, Bellinger appeared in 49 games in right field for the Cubs, 48 in center and 22 at first base while batting .266 with 18 home runs.

Wrigley Field played big for hitters in 2024, as Bellinger acknowledged "it was tough" at times, due to the elements. He was asked Thursday if he's looking forward to hitting at Yankees Stadium and its short right field porch.

"Everything about it excites me," he said. "The organization, the fans, the stadium, the atmosphere, and I actually have only played there once, and that was in 2023 and it was a really cool moment.

"You don't want the elements of the field to dictate how you feel, whether it's a cold day or hot day wind's blowing in, wind's blowing out. You kind of want to stay within yourself, stick with your plan, and that's for me just how I stay even keel."

It wasn't long after Bellinger opted in to his contract for 2025 that he realized he was on the trade block. After the Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker from Houston late last week, it ostensibly sealed his fate. Chicago wasn't going to carry his salary along with Tucker's and holdover Seiya Suzuki's. Bellinger is owed $52.5 million over the next two seasons.

"I get it," Bellinger stated. "I get business. I'm very good at separating the business and the baseball, and I'm the baseball player and there's business people in this game, so I just want to prepare and play the best baseball I can play."

Bellinger won the 2019 NL MVP while hitting 47 homers for the Dodgers. Since then, the most he's hit in a single season is 26 for the Cubs in 2023.

But the 29 year-old has become a better overall hitter despite belting fewer home runs. Over the past two seasons, his strikeout rate dropped sharply compared to the previous two years, while his production against left-handed pitchers went up. He was asked if he can get back to being the power hitter that helped him win MVP.

"I know what I can do and I know what I've done, and that's what I strive for every single year," he responded.

Bellinger will have better hitters around him in the Yankees lineup, so between that and the ballpark, there's a good chance his power numbers could go up. He's looking forward to hitting near Judge, the reigning AL MVP, in New York's lineup.

"It's amazing what he does," Bellinger said. "I'll probably chat with Boonie about it later on in spring or maybe we will try some things out through the lineup. I think anywhere Judge hits makes any team better and whoever's hitting in front of him or behind him makes those people better as well."

Bellinger is playing in his third big market after breaking into the majors with the Dodgers and then moving on to the Cubs for two seasons. He's won an MVP and been non-tendered. Now he's joining the most iconic franchise in the sport where his dad called home over two decades ago.

"I've been at the highest stage and at the lowest stage, and I like where I'm at right now," Bellinger said. "This baseball career is so short in your whole life, so the pressure, the moment, you want it and can take advantage of it. That's what I want to be a part of."

CHICAGO -- Sammy Sosa and the Chicago Cubs made up Thursday afternoon, ending their 17-year estrangement after the former slugger apologized for making "mistakes" during his playing career.

Sosa, who has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs for decades, stopped short of directly admitting to PED use in a statement released Thursday.

But the former National League MVP said that at times throughout his playing career he "did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games" and added: "I never broke any laws but in hindsight, I made mistakes, and I apologize."

Sosa, 56, hit 609 home runs -- the ninth-most in Major League Baseball history -- during an 18-year career highlighted by his 13-year stint with the Cubs. He hit at least 60 homers in three seasons over a four-year stretch from 1998 to 2001, all of which came in the heart of baseball's steroid era.

Minutes after the apology was released, the Cubs invited Sosa to their winter fan convention for the first time since he retired in 2007.

Sosa one of a group of players, including Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, who haven't made the Hall of Fame in part due to their ties to the steroid era, which ran from about 1994 to 2004, when more stringent testing began. Sosa testified in front of Congress in 2005 and denied using PEDS, although a New York Times report later claimed he had tested positive in 2003.

Sosa, Bonds and McGwire all fell well short of Hall of Fame election in 2022 on their 10th and final appearance on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot.

Sosa received a high of 18.5% support in his final appearance, less than a quarter of the 75% needed. His next chance for consideration would be if he is placed on the ballot for the contemporary player committee, which meets next December.

Cubs ownership hinted at needing an apology from Sosa before welcoming him back to the organization or even inviting him to an offseason team function.

"We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement Thursday. "No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody's perfect but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs. It is an understatement to say that Sammy is a fan favorite.

"We plan on inviting him to the 2025 Cubs Convention and, while it is short notice, we hope that he can attend. We are all ready to move forward together."

Sosa is likely to attend for the first time since he retired in 2007. His 545 home runs in a Cubs uniform is the most in franchise history.

"We can't change the past but the future is bright," Sosa said in his statement. "In my heart, I've always been a Cub and I can't wait to see Cubs fans again."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.